THINGS I SAW & DID

View of Vulcan Lane from Raw Power Cafe.

Got to see the sun rise because I stayed up all night working on a project.

Neighbour spying.

Moth.

Saw this car strolling through Takapuna.

Mum's friend got us some Korean granny socks.

I made fake nails out of blu-tac. Real nails are better.

MY FIRST OVERNIGHT TRAMP

Last weekend I learnt that day tramps are quite different to overnight tramps.

On this overnight tramp (from Kauaeranga Valley up to Crosbie's Hut and back), we were walking fast for 5 hours (each way), uphill, downhill, through streams, on slippery mud, balancing on pebbles, dodging rocks, climbing up massive chunks of stone and soil, ducking under and jumping over fallen trees, all while carrying 8kg of overnight gear. (And in my case, wearing soggy hiking boots too).

I felt like I was Frodo on an epic journey across rugged lands. I was like a short, unfit, under-prepared hobbit, being guided along by the Elves of Mirkwood – everyone else was all tall, agile, and well organised.

I slowed down the group's pace but they were really supportive. 

Unlike Frodo's situation, there was nothing out there trying to kill me, but I nearly died of exhaustion. I think around 20 times, I feared I would not make it. But I did make it. So that was good.

It was challenging but fun. And it was so beautiful. Everything was so so beautiful.

I need a better word than "beautiful" but I can't think of a word to describe the things I saw. 

Anyway, I just need to train and get fit so I can keep up with others.

Oh, and I need some proper hiking gear. Especially a hiking mug.

I was the only one without a hiking mug.

And a hiking bag.

And many other things.

Anyway, with some more practice and training, I will get better and faster.

Longer legs would help, but it's too late for that now.

I'm just going to focus on getting fitter.

Amazing view from Crosbie's Clearing.

Crosbie's Hut (Outside)

Crosbie's Hut (View from inside)

Bunk beds inside Crosbie's Hut.

Sunset 

Sunset! No filters. Taken with my 2MP phone camera. So you can imagine how much better it was in real life. 

Sunset

The tramp down, the next morning.

Pretty clouds on the way back to Auckland

Stopped at Pokeno for ice cream

The famous ice cream shop in Pokeno with a million flavours (Exaggeration. Probably around 40 flavours). And they have options for 15-scoop ice creams (or more).

PAT ON THE BACK

This weekend I went on a tramp up to Crosbie's Hut in Coromandel.
I joined a group of trampers.
They all had long, lean legs and extreme fitness.
My short stubby legs suffered tremendously. So did my lungs.
But I survived.
Probably my biggest achievement this year (so far).
Also the most exciting and worthwhile weekend I've had this year (so far).

I think I deserve a pat on the back.
I literally need a proper pat on the back.
I was carrying a super heavy bag with overnight gear all the way up and back down.

My short stubby legs stepping on the prickly grass at the summit.

THINGS THAT HAPPENED ON BIRTHDAY WEEK

• A friend got me a rare story book and a rare Japanese KitKat!
  I love story books. I love chocolate. And I love rare things.
  I found a quiet space and read the book while eating the kitkat. It was bliss. 

• Another friend got me a bag full of yummy food. Seriously, she know me too well hahaha.

• Went to a French Market + French film screening in Takapuna with a couple of friends. It was such a good evening. So much laughter. J baked some amazing fig & walnut tarts. They were so amazing that we wondered if she had just bought some from the market while we weren't looking. Oh and the films themselves were really thought-provoking. Really good.

Clockwise from top left: Very edgy cancan dance performance; Outdoor film screening; Revive salad and AMAZING fig and walnut tart that my friend baked herself; Salad bits that got stuck in the seat; Stranger with a cute jumper. 

• A friend who knows that I like beans and nuts, made this super sweet card. I was smiling all day after I got this. I'm still smiling.

• Another friend shouted me lunch. It was a nice afternoon.

• Lastly, I caught up with one of my friends and she broke my heart. She told me she is moving to Sydney. I cried like a baby. I haven't cried for over 4 years so it was really awkward. Why are tears uncontrollable? :( I'm so upset but I'm also really happy for her. She will do well in Sydney. 

Went to the post office with her to send some documents. I want to be sent away too. 

NEW CAFES WITH PRETTY BOTTLES AND CUPS

My friend and I checked out two new cafes that have popped up in Auckland. It was a fun way to start the day.

1. GILES, 21 Shortland St.

• We got water served in a funky bottle and our cups were in the shape of paper cups (but made of glass). 
• I ordered the "Mother-in-law's masala eggs". I think the lady who served the food was the mother-in-law. She had that mother-in-law look and feel. 
• Oh, and this cafe stocks The Caker's cakes!!! Will come back for cake next time.

2. VIK'S, at the end of Vulcan Lane.

• This cafe had pretty glassware too. 
• And we were supplied with free water that had watermelon and berry pieces in it. 

REMEDY COFFEE, AUCKLAND

Remedy Coffee is a cool little coffee place in the CBD.
It has a very Melbourne cafe vibe.
Except, you look out the nice big windows, and you see Auckland.
Not even Auckland, you just see big buses because there's a bus stop right outside haha.

Anyway. The food and coffee is good.
My friend had muesli and I had a ginger loaf.
The muesli came out all pretty and nice.
The ginger loaf looked and tasted like a soft ginger bed that a gingerbread man would use in his gingerbread house.

MY BIG LITTLE BROTHER IS BACK

My little brother has finally returned from his three months of internships and travels. I'm just so relieved that he has made it back in one piece. I am the one who found the internship for him and pushed him to do it. He says it is the best thing he has done in his life, so that's a relief. I was worried that if anything happened, it would be my fault. But now I can say, "I told you it would be good. I was right. And I am always right". Hahaha.

He arrived a couple of hours after midnight on my birthday. So today is like a welcome back party and a birthday party mixed together. Extra fun and extra food.

Speaking of food, my brother brought back a lot of food and a few little non-food things:

Mini flavoured vodka bottles from Poland. He could only bring in 1 litre of alcohol. The rest got confiscated apparently.

Handpainted and handmade pottery from Poland! 

Handmade colouring pencils from Poland.

Little Dutch shoe things.

Misc chocolates and sugary things from Germany, Poland, Belgium,  and Italy.

Today is a good day.
The plan is to be on a sugar-high all day.

THINGS I LEARNT TODAY

• I went to the living room to get my phone. I returned to my room with a strawberry and no phone. Then decided I didn't need my phone. I learnt that sometimes you think you need something, when in fact you need something else.

• I learnt to play tennis! Well, I'm sort of re-learning. I stopped getting coaching when I was in my early-teens. I wasn't improving and mum figured I wasn't going to become a pro tennis player, so she sort of stopped investing in my tennis lessons. This week I signed up for 9 lessons (with my own money), and today was the first class. It was fun.



The lessons take place in the indoor courts at the ASB Tennis Arena. It was good. I've never been in an indoor tennis court before. Back in the days we had to sweat it out, playing tennis under the scorching mid afternoon sun

• Had lunch at Revive. I learnt that I have been pronouncing "Quinoa" wrong all this time. No one ever corrected me. I guess the word "quinoa" doesn't come up very often in conversations.

PYO BLUEBERRIES - 1HR FROM AUCKLAND

Went blueberry picking today at a "Pick Your Own" blueberry orchard in Ngatea, Waikato. It was only a 1hr drive from Auckland.

The drive down to Ngatea

We picked 6.5kg of blueberries

Blueberries!

Things you can do at the PYO blueberry orchard:

• You get to pick your own berries.
• You can also eat the berries straight off the tree. I would not recommend it because they are not organic, but they taste really good straight off the tree. 
• There is a cafe with blueberry muffins, cheesecakes, cakes, ice cream etc
• That's about it

FOOD AND BEACHES

Went on a little day trip with my friend. We went up to Snells Beach (the water was so clean and warm), then to Matakana, then back down to Puhoi, then back up to Mahurangi Regional Park. It was a nice relaxing day. These little towns and beaches north of Orewa are so charming.

Puhoi Cheese Cafe

Mahurangi Regional Park

BEACHED AS

Spent the day at Takapuna beach.
I dunked my feet into the water for the first time since forever.
I come to the beach quite often, but I never dunk my feet.
But today, I did – and it was good.
I didn't bring my togs so I couldn't go all the way in like my friend did.
I was so tempted to just jump in.

ANOTHER SOBER NYE AND NYD

My New Years Eves/Days have always been times when I become even more quiet and contemplative than usual. It's mostly because my parents make me to go to the midnight NYE service at church.

This year at church, we didn't even do a countdown. The reverend talked through the 12am point and then afterwards said, "a few minutes ago, we have entered 2014". It was very anticlimactic. No fireworks or cheering. 

But thinking about it, I actually like it this way. 

Not a huge fan of fireworks and loud parties.

And I like the idea of starting off the new year with a clear head. 

In the morning we caught the earlybird ferry to Rangitoto island and walked up to the summit. It was good. I had a trip to Rangitoto Island just last week with some friends as well. But that time we trekked to Mototapu not to the summit.

 

GIRLS NIGHT OUT

It's the end of the year and I have quite a few things scheduled. Social things. Things that involve meeting people and hanging out. It's quite unfortunate that my phone is no longer with me to take blogworthy photos. Very untimely.

I could not take photos of our girls night out tonight, so here is a fairly accurate representation of what tonight was like:

Scene from Midnight in Paris

Minus the tiger and the birds and the wallpaper and white tablecloth and French people. 

We did have candles though. 

And wine (Sangria contains wine).

A LITTLE TRIP TO MOTOTAPU

Went on a little hike with a couple of friends. We took the ferry to Rangitoto. Then walked over to Mototapu and had a little picnic.

It was quite a cloudy day, but it was good because it meant that we didn't get burnt.

View from the Coastal Track on Rangitoto Island

We crossed the tiniest bridge between Rangitoto and Mototapu Island. This is where we had our picnic.